Parametric and resonant transition radiation in periodic stratified structures

We consider the problem of electromagnetic emission when an electrically charged particle crosses a periodically stratified structure following an arbitrary linear trajectory. A theory generalizing a recently developed method [Phys. Rev. E 63, 016613 (2001)] is presented in the framework of the classical theory of electromagnetism in continuous media. It allows one to account for both the so-called parametric radiation and the resonant transition radiation. We implement our model to interpret the experiments performed by Kaplin et al. [Appl. Phys. Lett. 76, 3647 (2000)] in the x-ray domain with a stack of 300 W/B₄C bilayers irradiated by 500 MeV electrons.